Thursday, February 6, 2014

On an unseasonably warm Saturday morning on February 1st nearly 200 people gathered at UMass Boston as the final public meeting of a
yearlong process by the Metropolitan Beaches Commission (MBC), in partnership with
Save the Harbor/Save the Bay (SHSB), to assess the accomplishments and needed improvements
for the BostonHarbor beaches stretching from Nantasket
to Nahant.

As an environmental policy intern for SHSB,
this was also the culmination of 2 weeks of preparation, including mailings,
calls to community members, and a meeting with the Commissioners to finalize
the presentation shown on Saturday. This experience has shown me the
behind-the-scenes logistics that are required for a successful public meeting
that concerns policy. In particular, it was invaluable to meet the
Commissioners to see the political side of the process firsthand.

Opening remarks were given by SHSB President Patricia Foley, Chancellor Ed Lambert from UMass Boston, MBC Co-Chair Tom McGee, and DCR Commissioner Jack Murray. To highlight how our beach communities are connected along the coast, attendees watched a Google Earth video flyover of the metropolitan beaches. Then, the preliminary findings and
recommendations gathered from 10 previous public hearings held last summer and
fall were presented by David Spillane and Bruce Berman. The main message throughout the presentation was that the
beaches have made substantial progress since 2007 and now the focus needs
to be on continuing to improve programming and access to the beaches. A
diverse list of concerns, including safety, the presence of dogs, coastal
erosion, and plover nesting, shows that environmental issues cannot be
addressed without also involving the needs of the public. In addition,
community involvement and encouraging beach use and maintenance will increase
the number of people that will have an active stake in the water quality of BostonHarbor as well as improve the economic vitality of the region.

Following the presentation, the audience broke out into
tables according to their affiliated beach. At this time, attendees were
allowed to leave comments, including what they liked being done so far and what
they would like to see in the future. This feedback will be used when the MBC
writes up its final report this spring on the current status of the BostonHarbor
beaches. The comments expressed satisfaction with projects that have already
been done so far to improve beach quality and recreational opportunities, and a
desire to pursue further improvements. These ideas ranged from investing in
more entertainment opportunities to improving connections to other waterfront
locations.

This meeting was a great opportunity to interact with people that
are passionate about their community beaches, and to see how representatives
from government, the non-profit sector, and the general public can come
together to shape future policy. I hope that this meeting, which has shown the
great potential of the BostonHarbor beaches and its local communities and Friends
groups, will serve as the perfect buildup to Save the Harbor/Save the Bay’s
next big event: its Cupid Splash fundraiser, which raises money for free events
and programs for the beaches along BostonHarbor.

The Commission will be accepting public comments until March 1st. If you were unable to attend the meeting or you want to add more feedback please take our survey here or e-mail us at info@savetheharbor.org. Meeting materials, including the aerial video tour of the beaches, the power point presentation, and community summaries can be found here.

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Welcome!

Save the Harbor/Save the Bayis a non-profit public-interest Boston Harbor environmental advocacy organization whose mission is to restore and protect Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay, the Boston Harbor Islands, the Boston Harbor region's public beaches, Boston's waterfront and the marine environment and share them with the public, for everyone to enjoy.

Since 1986, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay has been the driving force behind the transformation of Boston Harbor from one of the dirtiest urban harbors in America to one of the cleanest in the world.

As a result of our advocacy, Boston Harbor has been transformed from a "Harbor of Shame" into a source of recreational, educational and economic opportunity and civic pride. Today the beaches of South Boston are among the cleanest urban beaches in the nation, the Boston Harbor Islands are a National Park, and Boston's waterfront has become a compelling destination for residents and visitors alike.

Working with a broad base of civic, corporate, government, scientific, philanthropic and community partners, Save the Harbor / Save the Bay continues to strengthen the connections between communities and the harbor, and promote the increasingly important impact Boston Harbor has on the region’s economy.

Each year Save the Harbor / Save the Bay runs 2 freeYouth Environmental Education Programs that combine recreation and hands-on education to bring Boston Harbor alive for thousands of Boston area young people. Since 2003, we have connected nearly 250,000 youth and teens to Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, our region's public beaches and Boston's waterfront.

Our "Boston Harbor Explorers" program serves thousands of young people at the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, the Piers Park Sailing Center and Constitution Beach in East Boston, DCR's Carson Beach in South Boston, at Community Boating on the Charles River, on Black's Creek in Quincy, and at Camp Harbor View on Long Island and at The Boston Children's Museum.Our"All Access Boston Harbor"program departs weekdays from the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion in South Boston, and brings thousands of youth and teens from more than 100 community groups to Georges or Spectacle Island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Park on the Provincetown II.

OurBetter Beaches Program supports dozens of free events and activities on the region's public beaches each year in Nahant, Lynn, Revere, Winthrop, East Boston, South Boston, Dorchester, Quincy and Hull.

We hope we can count on you as we share Boston Harbor with 30,000 young people on 28 free island excursions and at 40 free events and programs on the region's public beaches in 2018.For more information about Save the Harbor/Save the Bay please visit our website at www.savetheharbor.org